September 2, 2010

Transformation Thursday

Back when we found that awesome free dresser on Craig's list, we also bought this chair. The man who was giving away the dresser had had a garage sale the previous weekend and was not able to sell this chair. I was aghast that not one person saw the potential in this chair. What is this world coming to?

The funny part is, I actually loved the fabric just the way it was. It had a 60s vintage feel that I thought was groovy. The bad part was it did not match a single room in my house. When my mom and I reupholstered the couch I knew that the green chair and ottoman had to go, and that this chair would be the perfect replacement, for the over sized green chair at least.

As you can see from the photo, I began deconstructing the chair and then remembered to take pictures. Not so much with the thinking.

The chair was relatively easy to recover as there was not a lot of sewing involved. I did quite a bit of hot gluing of fabric and cording. The chair cushion gave me the most trouble and I injured myself quite badly. I was working the fabric through the machine and got a little carried away with perfection of the seam. What resulted can only be described as horrific.

Graphic image ahead. Put down your snack and cover your eyes.

Yes, I did. I sewed right through my finger nail. I broke the nail and took off a chuck of the top of my finger. The worst part was the force of the needle pushed the nail into the skin and I had to work it out.

Um, ow.

This delayed the completion of the project for about 4 days. My finger is still sore and I have no feeling in the tip. I did not let that stop me, oh no I didn't. I completed the chair Wednesday afternoon.

To say that I am happy with it is an understatement. I am thrilled with how it turned out. The cushion is a mess on one corner but I don't care. I also have not yet stapled the fabric to the sides and back of the chair. That is a job for my husband. And I have not added the zipper to the chair cushion. That is a job for my mom. (Hi mom! :-D)

So it is not perfect, but it sure is purdy!

You know the part in Pirates of the Caribbean 2 where the two pirates Pintel and Ragetti are rowing the boat, having just lost their immortality? Ragetti is reading the Bible preparing to meet his maker and a hilarious conversation ensues.


Pintel: You know you can't read.

Ragetti: It's the bible, you get credit for tryin'.

That is how I feel about this chair. I get credit for tryin'.


What are you going to try to do this week?


13 comments:

Alaina said...

Oh yes you get credit for trying. It looks great! You did a wonderful job, give yourself an A for even trying as some out there would not have even tried. I love the stripes and color too. OH that thumb looks like it hurts, and you kept on going.

Anonymous said...

Bravo, it looks fabulous!
Bravo an digging out the needle! I did that once but let the ER take care of it under local anethesia, You are a brave girl!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

The chair looks fantastic and I love the fabric you used! Great job!

FairfieldHouse said...

I am in awe of your talent. Even with a punctured nail and the tip of your finger missing you still managed to do a beautiful job! (Good thing the fabric has red in it, don't notice the blood stains at all.) HA!

Your Friend,
Deborah

Trac~ said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the chair but am SO sorry for your poor finger! Thanks for stopping by to say hello today. I hope since you homeschool and are never alone that you take time for yourself sometimes as well. Thank you for your kind comments on the chest that I refurbished. Big hugs! xoxoxo

Jersey Girl said...

Beautiful job, Laney. Thanks for saving some of the work for me (wink, wink). It must look lovely in the room with the sofa. Nice touch with the flowers, too. Um, where is the other chair that we made the white cover for?

Laney said...

Mom,
I moved it across the room. It looks really nice.

Allison @ House of Hepworths said...

I featured you this week! You can see your feature by clicking on the link.


www.houseofhepworths.com/2010/09/08/hookin-up-with-hoh-16


Feel free to grab a button if you'd like!


~Allison @ House of Hepworths

Madame Meg said...

Hi!
I just came over from HoH... adorable chair! That was a great find- there never does seem to be cool stuff like that in yard sales around me. Though come to think of it I did rescue a couple of pretty cute chairs from the trash one time! The first round of that reupholstery job had some wonky corners, too! It only took me about three years to pull the fabric off and fix it... so much to do! Hope you have a speedy recovery! (ooh, that was totally an accidental pun- HA!)
- Meg

Unknown said...

You did a great job. You totally get credit for trying. I used to be such a freak about every project that I did. I could show you every single flaw. Now, I look back on some of those and wonder what I was thinking. Enjoy your beautiful chair!

ps. I have a settee in a similar style I fixin' to do this winter. Any advice you want to share would be wonderful, like how you did the cording on it.

http://froufrugal.blogspot.com

Dani said...

I love your style!
What color paint did you use for your wall, if you don't mind me asking?

Laney said...

Hi Dani,
Thank-you. :-)

I used Benjamin Moore's Pale Wheat in eggshell.

Dani said...

Thank you Laney!